NEWS
A lesson in going green from St Cecilia’s They’re known as “the girls in green” – and at St Cecilia’s they think green too! Since the school’s Environmental Club was founded in 2014, pupils have been implementing a wide range of eco-friendly initiatives to reduce plastic, encourage recycling and make ‘fast fashion’ go out of style. Thanks to the efforts of club members, there are now recycling bins in every room in the school. Each week volunteers carefully empty the bins, sorting the content into the correct recycling bags and ensuring it isn’t contaminated with other waste. Their hard work and initiative have prevented thousands of bags going into general waste bins, which would then go to landfill. Due to pressure from the club, plastic cutlery is no longer used in the canteen, and it also strongly
encourages the use of St Cecilia-branded stainless steel bottles for water, with every first year pupil given their very own one. Water taps throughout the school make it easy to get a refill. The club is also devising a new campaign to encourage everyone to make regular use of a new battery recycling box which will be installed in the school soon. Plenty of house points will go to pupils who recycle! This year members are particularly excited with their entry, ‘Swap with Style’, in the all-Ireland ECOUNESCO Young Environmentalist Awards competition. The project includes holding a ‘Swap Shop’ at school each term when staff and pupils can exchange clothes rather than buying more “fast fashion”. The aim is to reduce the
amount of textile waste going to landfill. Keep an eye out on the school’s social media platforms for more information. St Cecilia’s achieved runner-up status in these awards pre-pandemic so pupils are hopeful they might just clinch the top spot this time. But that’s not the Environment Club’s only ambition – plans for the future include being given the Eco Schools Green Flag status and getting an electric car charging point within the grounds. Most important of all, however, is the members’ goal to create daily awareness of environmental protection and the need for sustainability throughout the school community and city.
NORTH WEST STUDIO IS CROWNED ULSTER TATLER INTERIOR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Shauna Stewart and her team from Coleraine design studio Velvet Interiors are celebrating being crowned 2023 Ulster Tatler Interior Designer of the Year. The award, which was presented at a glittering ceremony hosted at Belfast City Hall, joins the growing number of accolades for the North Coast business. Renowned for creating a relaxed luxury aesthetic that is both practical and liveable, the Velvet team design and manage a wide range of projects, from Victorian
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renovations and coastal retreats to modern, passive houses. Shauna, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the interiors industry, works with her team of specialists to create dream homes and spaces throughout Ireland.
Velvet Interiors is at The Cottage, 23 Drumcroone Road, Coleraine, BT51 4EB. Studio, by appointment, tel: 028 2955 7528 or email shauna@velvetinteriors. co.uk. Retail shop open Wed-Sat, 9.30am-5.30pm.
